Northwest NEWS

November 12, 2001

County announces Community Salmon Fund

The King County WaterWorks grant program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have established the Community Salmon Fund to stimulate small-scale, voluntary action to support salmon recovery. The fund is designed primarily for private property owners to carry out recovery projects and care for them in the long run.
"This fund empowers our communities to do tangible things that will make a difference for salmon," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "It will stimulate creativity and leadership among farmers, rural forest owners, suburban homeowners, and owners of businesses and industries in improving or protecting salmon habitat."
While individual private property owners are not directly eligible for grants, nonprofit organizations and local governments are encouraged to carry out projects on private property as long as there is a compelling benefit to salmon.
For example, a project may undertake the removal of fish migration barriers on private land.
While outright land acquisition is not eligible, conservancy easements and the cost of real estate transactions such as property surveys, are eligible.
Pre-proposals for community-based restoration projects to be funded in the first grant round are due Nov. 30.
Successful applicants will be invited to develop full proposals by Jan. 9, 2002. The fund anticipates awarding up to $200,000 in grants up to $50,000 by March 1, 2002. A second grant round will follow in mid-2002.
For more information about the Community Salmon Fund, contact Ken Pritchard at King County at (206) 296-8265 (ken.pritchard@metrokc.gov) or Krystyna Wolniakowski of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation at (503) 417-8700 (wolniakowski@nfwf.org).